


You're The Best Thing to Ever Happen To Me

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Broken Bones, Crying, Domestic Avengers, F/M, Fluff, Hurt Peter, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Kidnapped Peter, Kidnapping, Lots of Crying, Nightmares, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Meets the Avengers, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Avengers, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Tony Stark, SO MUCH FLUFF, Swearing, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-02-21 16:58:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18706516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: Peter has a science project and he finds out more about his relationship with Tony then he expected.





	1. It's Science

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thank you so much for reading this! Tumblr: romeoandjulietyouwish

“Hey, Tony!” Peter chirps as he runs into their lab, his backpack slinging haphazardly across his shoulders. 

“Hi, kid,” Tony says, looking up from his work with a smile. “Why are you so excited?”

Peter grins and pulls up his stool to sit across from Tony. Peter grins, his legs bouncing with excitement, “We’re doing this awesome new project in science! I can’t wait to see what the results are, especially since the spider bite definitely altered my DNA and I-”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Tony says with a laugh, “slow down. What project?”

Peter takes a breath, “We’re doing this project where we compare someone our DNA with someone we’re related to and then with someone we aren’t related to! I’m so excited to see what changed the spider venom made to my DNA!” 

Tony smile at Peter’s excitement, “You’re a nerd, kid.”

Peter grins and laughs, “I know!” 

“You get back to me with the results, okay?” Tony asks. Peter nods enthusiastically. Tony shakes his head, “Go get started then!” Tony gestures for Peter to shoo and he turns back to his work. 

They work in silence for a few minutes. Tony can hear Peter’s pencil scratching against the paper of his notebook and his quiet muttering under his breath. Peter’s words roll over in Tony’s head and he realizes something. 

“Kid?” Tony asks, sitting up. 

“Yeah?” Peter responds, not looking up from his notebook. 

“Who’s DNA are you using for your experiment?” Tony asks. Peter sighs and looks up, setting his pencil down. 

“I don’t know.” He shrugs, “I, um, I don’t have any blood relatives left.” Peter looks down at his lap. He takes a pause before continuing, “But I, um, talked to my teacher. Um, she said that I could just pick two people and use their DNA.” Peter tugs on the end of his sleeves so that they cover his hands. Peter sniffs and rubs his eyes. He’s crying, Tony thinks. 

Tony gets out of his chair and kneels in front of Peter, his hand on his knee, “Peter?” 

Peter tips his head back, “I’m sorry, I’m fine. I, um, I just,” he takes a short breath. “It’s hard. Everyone heard me asking the teacher and they all stared at me and...”

“I know, kid.” Tony says, “I know,” Tony stands up and pulls Peter into a soft hug. 

“Thanks, Tony,” Peter says, pulling back and wiping his eyes. Tony sits back on his stool. 

“Why don’t you use my DNA?” Tony offers. Peter’s wide eyes fly up to Tony. 

“Really?” He asks hopefully. 

“Sure,” Tony says. 

“Thank you so much, Tony!” Peter exclaims, jumping to his feet and tackling Tony in another hug. 

...

The next week, Peter comes into the lab with considerably less excitement than the week before. It almost seems to Tony that he doesn’t want Tony to acknowledge him. It doesn’t work. 

“Everything alright, kid?” Tony asks as Peter pulls out his notebook. Peter nods without looking up at Tony. Tony sighes, running his hand over his face. “You want to try that again?” Tony asks Peter as he walks over to him. 

“I’m fine,” Peter insists, but his voice breaks on the word fine. Tony crouches beside Peter’s chair. Tony looks up at him expectantly. It doesn’t take long for Peter to break. “We did our experiment with DNA today.”

Tony frowns, “I thought you were excited about it?”

Peter nods, “I was.” Peter rubs his nose, “But, um, then we started doing the experiment.” Peter’s eyes are fixed on his hand. “And I figured something out.”

Tony cocks his head to the side, “What? Something with the spider bite?”

Peter shakes his head, he opens his mouth speak, but nothing comes out. Tony takes his hand and squeezes it. Peter takes a breath as if to speak but he says nothing. Peter reaches into his backpack and pulls out a sheet of paper, a lab analysis. Peter hands it to Tony and stands up. Peter walks over to the couch and sits down, his legs curling up. Tony looks down at the paper in his hands. He sees the comparison between his DNA and Peter’s. Tony gasps and presses his hand to his mouth, his eyes welling up with tears. 

“FRIDAY?” Tony asks. “Is this real?”

“Yes, boss,” FRIDAY replies, “I double checked his work, it’s correct.”

“Do you have both of our DNAs on file?” 

“Yes, boss.” FRIDAY replied. 

“Run a paternity check, as fast as you can.” Tony stands up and walks over to Peter. Tony stands in front of him.

Peter shakes his head and speaks, “Unless I messed it up-”

Tony shakes his head, “You wouldn’t.” 

“I know.”

Tony sits down on the couch beside Peter and pulls him into a tight hug, his hand cradling the back of his head. Tony’s tears spill down his cheeks and he pulls Peter closer. Peter clings to Tony. 

“Boss, the results of the paternity test as in. It’s a positive match.” FRIDAY says with a hint of joy in her voice. 

Tony grins and tugs Peter back into his arms. Tony pulls back and presses a kiss to Peter’s hair. He cradles Peter’s face in his hands and sees that he’s crying too, “I have a son.” Tony says, his eyes alight with joy. 

Peter nods, but then his eyes fill with worry, “Is that okay?”

Tony smiles, “Of course it is. Peter, I love you.” Tony says honestly. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, kid. The fact that you’re my son only makes it ten times better.” Tony smooths Peter’s hair out of his eyes. 

Peter smiles, “I’m glad that you’re my dad.” Peter says shyly. 

Tony smiles, “Me too.” They sit there for a moment before Tony speaks again, “Who did you tell?”

Peter tugs on his sleeves, “Only May and Ned. May told me to tell you.”

“Alright.” 

They sit in silence for a minute, “What happens now?” Peter asks and Tony is shocked by how young he looks. 

“I don’t know.” Tony responds.


	2. Adoption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish

“You’re talking about adoption?” Pepper asks with wide eyes. Tony had told Pepper about his newfound relationship, she was understandably shocked. 

“Yeah, Pep,” Tony sighs and runs his hand through his hair, “he’s my kid.”

“Tony.” Pepper says harshly, “if you adopt him you will have to be a parent, not just hanging out with him in the lab. You’ll have to do all the hard things too and you can’t coddle him.”

“I know.” Tony says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Pepper purses her lips, “Do you, Tony? He’s a teenager and he probably going through a lot right now, you’re going to need to be there for him no matter what. I don’t know if you-”

Tony stands, “I know! He’s my kid, Pepper! I want to be part of his life!” Tony snaps. Pepper’s face is calm at his temper. “I love him, Pep. I don’t know what else to do.”

“Tony,” Pepper says evenly, “being a parent is hard. Are you ready?” 

Tony sighs and sits back down, “I don’t know, Pep. But I know that I have to try, for him.”

Pepper nods, “Okay, what about his aunt?” 

“Shit,” Tony says. “I don’t know. I’ll talk to her.”

Pepper sighs, “You better. Talk to May before you talk to Peter.” Tony nods. 

“Thank you, Pepper.” Tony says honestly.  
...

Tony knocks on the door of the Parker apartment. He knows Peter is out with his friend and that he will be able to talk to May alone. May answers the door with a smile. Ever since she had found out about Spiderman they relationship had become one of a mutual love for Peter. Together the two of them had come up with rules to keep Peter safe. 

“Good morning, May,” Tony greets pleasantly. 

“Morning, Tony,” May says as she steps aside for Tony to come in. “Coffee?” May offers. 

“Please,” Tony responds. May pours two cups of coffee and leads them into the small living room. They sit beside next to each other. 

“What did you want to talk about?” May asks, crossing her legs underneath herself. 

“Peter.” Tony says simply. May nods for him to continue. “He told you I’m his biological father?” May nods. “Well I was thinking...and um, I want to take on a bigger role in his life.” 

May nods, “Okay. What were you thinking? I know Peter was hoping that you’d ask to get joint custody over him.” 

Tony’s eyes go wide, “He-he did?” 

May smiles and nods, “Yeah, he did. Would you be open to that?”

Tony nods hurriedly, “Of-of course,” he pauses, “only if you want to, though.” 

May nods, “There is no one I trust with him more than you. Besides,” she waves her hand around, “I could use some help with him.”

“Thank you, May,” Tony says, squeezing her hand. “You have no idea how much this means to me.” 

May nods, “You’re good for him, Tony. No matter how much you claim to not know what you’re doing, you do. He loves you and I can’t imagine Peter having a better father.”

Tony grins, “Thank you.” Then he sighs, “I don’t want him to think that I’m taking his dad’s or Ben’s place.” 

May shakes her head and squeezes Tony’s arm, “He won’t. We talked about it when he found out about you. He’s just excited to have another father figure.” 

Tony shakes his head fondly, “Of course he did.”  
...

Tony decided to talk to Peter later that week. He already talked to Pepper and she had given him to go ahead to talk to Peter. When Peter comes into their lab on Wednesday, Tony gestures for him to come to join him on the couch instead of getting right to work. 

“How was school, kid?” Tony asks as Peter sets his backpack down. 

Peter shrugs, “Boring.” 

Tony nods, “Listen, Peter, there’s something we need to talk about.” Peter’s shoulders immediately tense and his is visible less relaxed that he was a second ago. “I promise it’s nothing bad, can you sit next to me?” Peter nods sharply and sits down beside him on the couch. Peter’s sleeves cover his hands as he pulls his knees to his chest. “Peter?” Tony asks, seeing the nervous behavior in his son. 

Peter shakes his head, “Sorry, it’s just been a panicky day.” Tony nods in understanding. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tony asks. There's no way he would be able to tell Peter if he knew that something was wrong.  
Peter shook his head, “What did you want to talk about?”

Tony begins, “I talked to May the other day and we discussed what to do now that we know that you’re my son.” Peter smiles at that. “And we came to a decision that we want your opinion on.” 

Peter’s hands start to visibly shake, he presses them tight against his legs, “Um, okay. What is it?” 

A look of concern fills Tony’s face, “You okay?” 

Peter nods, “Yeah, sorry. Just tell me.”

“Okay.” Tony smiles at him, “We want your opinion on joint custody.” Peter’s head flies up and his eyes go wide as a smile spreads across his face. 

“Really?” Peter asks, his voice flooding with excitement. 

Tony nods, “Yeah, really. What do you think?” 

Peter says nothing but throws himself into Tony’s arms. Tony catches him around the waist, pressing his cheek against Peter’s curls. Peter curls himself closer to Tony with a soft laugh. Tony can feel Peter sob against his chest. Tony immediately pulls back. 

“Oh, Peter, don’t cry,” Tony says, wiping his tears away. 

Peter shakes his head, “I’m sorry. It’s just, that’ all I’ve wanted since I found out.” Peter hugs Tony again who receives his hug with open arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Peter whispers against his chest. 

“Is that a yes?” Tony asks with a laugh. Tony can feel Peter grin and nod against his chest. 

“When can we start?” Peter asks, pulling away with a large grin. 

Tony shrugs, “As soon as Pepper comes home.” If it’s possible, Peter smiles even wider. “You want another hug, don’t you, kid?” Tony asks. Peter sheepishly nods. Tony smiles at him, “Come here.” Tony gestures for Peter to come closer. Peter presses himself against Tony’s chest, his cheek beside the arc reactor. Tony closes his eyes.


	3. Dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish

When Peter walks sleepily into the kitchen, there are three things he doesn't expect to see:

1\. Steve Rogers in a bathrobe making breakfast  
2\. Clint Barton sleeping completely on top of the counter with a fluffy blanket wrapped around his shoulders.  
3\. Natasha Romanov curled up in a ball, asleep, on the floor in the kitchen.

But that's exactly what he sees. Peter stops and stares with wide eyes. Steve must be able to hear him because he turns around and stares right back at him.

“Who are you?” Steve asks, gesturing with a greasy spatula. 

“I'm, I'm Peter,” Peter stutters. 

“What are you doing here, Peter?” Steve asks. 

Peter tenses under his gaze, “I’m Tony’s um...” Peter begins, then he realizes he doesn’t know what word to use for himself. “Tony's uh-”

“Why are you interrogating the kid, Rogers?” Tony asks walking past Peter and up to Steve. “He's like 12 how dangerous can he be?”

“I'm 16,” Peter mumbles.

Tony rolls his eyes at Peter and looks at Steve with exasperation, “Teenagers, am I right?” Tony sighs with a huff and pours himself a cup of coffee. “Sit down, kid,” Tony says to Peter, gesturing for him to take a seat at the counter. 

Peter follows his mentor’s instruction as Steve turns back to cooking with a strange look on his face.

“Are they okay?” Peter asks, looking at Natasha and Clint. 

Steve chuckles, “They're fine. They got here at about one this morning and everyone was asleep so they opted to sleep in the kitchen instead of waking anyone up.” 

Peter looks at Clint curiously, “But why on the counter?”

Tony laughs, “That's just Clint for you.” 

Steve finishes cooking and slides eggs on to a plate and hands it to Peter with a small smile, “Here you go, kid.”

“Thanks, Mr. Rogers,” Peter says politely. 

“It’s Steve,” Steve corrects. He hands a plate to Tony before sitting down next to Peter. 

“Is there anyone else here?” Peter asks Tony and Steve. 

Tony nods, “Bucky, Wanda, and Sam I think that’s it. Plus Bruce was already here.” Peter nods and continues eating. “Why are you so chill about this?” Tony asks. 

Peter shrugs, “I don’t know, nothing in my life really phases me anymore.” Peter looks back up at Steve, “Um if you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Ro-” Steve gives Peter a look, “Steve. Why are you all here now?”

Steve turns to Tony with a raised eyebrow, “Can I tell him?” Tony gestures yes with his cup of coffee, Steve turns back to Peter, “Tony and I talked and we came to terms we can both agree on, so I brought my team here and we’re trying to become the Avengers again.” 

Peter furrows his brow, “I thought Miss Romanoff was on Tony’s side?”

Tony answers his question, “She was, but she went with Clint.” Peter nodded in understanding. Suddenly an alarm goes off on Peter’s phone, he glances down and his eyes go wide. He jumps to his feet with a loud groan and nearly sprints out of the room, swearing under his breath. Tony shakes his head and pours himself another cup of coffee. 

“What’s going on?” Steve asks. 

“He’s late for school.”

“Tony?” Steve begins, “Who is he?”

Tony sets down his coffee and turns to face Steve, “Why?” Tony narrows his eyes at him. 

Steve puts his hands up, “Woah, I’m just curious.” Tony relaxes and leans back against the counter. “Is he your son?”

Tony nearly chokes on his coffee, “How did you know?” Then it’s Steve turn to choke on his coffee. 

“Wait, really?” Steve says. 

Tony runs a hand through his unruly hair, “Yeah, um, I was mentoring him for a few years and then he found out that he was my son, so he told me.” Tony shrugs, “Then I got joint custody with his aunt and now...”

Steve’s eyes nearly bulge out his head as Tony finishes. He lets Tony’s words sink in and then he realizes something, “Why doesn’t he call you dad?” 

“What?” Tony shakes his head, “Um, I don’t know. We’ve never really talked about it.”

“Boss,” FRIDAY says, “Miss Potts would like to tell you to ‘get your ass up to her office and get some goddamn work done for once in your life.’”

Tony barks out a laugh, “On it, FRI.” He fills up his cup and began to walk out of the room. 

“Tony,” Steve stops him, Tony turns around expectantly, “I’m happy for you. He seems like a good kid.” 

“He is.”

...

“Even out your stance, Peter,” Bucky says, gently tapping his left heel. Peter does as he says and faces Sam again. “Good,” Bucky praises. Bucky turns around when he hears the door to the gym open. Tony stands in the doorway until Bucky gestures for him to come in, “Why don’t we show your dad what you learned, huh?”

If Bucky notices Peter’s shock at him calling Tony his dad, he ignores it. Tony takes a seat on the padded floor of the room, watching Peter happily. 

Peter and Sam demonstrate the hits, blocks, and stances that Bucky had just shown them. Bucky watches closely, calling out corrections when he sees one. At the end of the demonstration, Bucky claps Peter on the shoulder and shoves him lightly towards Tony. 

“Good job, kid,” Tony says as he stands. He leans closer to Peter and whispers in his ear, “Though we both know that was easy for you.” 

“Shh!” Peter hisses. Tony laughs and pushes Peter towards the door. 

“Go get changed, it’ll be dinner in a few,” Tony hugs Peter with one arm before releasing him towards the door. 

“Thanks, Bucky! Thanks, Sam!” Peter calls as he leaves.

“Not a word, bird brain,” Tony says without looking at him. 

Sam chuckles, “Wouldn’t dream of it, boss man.”

Sam follows Peter out the door, leaving Bucky and Tony alone. 

“For what it’s worth,” Bucky begins after a moment, “I think you’re a good dad.”

Tony smiled, “Thanks, Bucky, that means a lot. I’m trying my best.”

Bucky smiles, “I know and he’s a wonderful kid.” 

“Thanks.”

...

At first, Peter doesn’t know he’s having a panic attack. He is sitting in the living room doing his homework like normal and Natasha sits in the armchair with her legs extended on the coffee table. Peter’s breathing begins to pick up bit by bit and he rubs the sweat off his palms. He shakes his head and tries to focus back on his homework, blinking heavily.

“You alright?” Asks Natasha. Peter nods without looking up. Then Peter squeezes his eyes closed and his breathing becomes less steady. “Peter?” Natasha says. She stands up and moves over to Peter. “Talk to me, what’s going on?” Peter waves her off and curls closer to himself. 

“FRIDAY, get his dad,” Natasha says. 

“Boss is on his way.” FRIDAY responds. Natasha is shocked by how quickly Tony arrives in the room. His eyes immediately find Peter and he rushes towards him. Natasha steps back and watches Tony talk Peter down from his panic. 

Tony’s hands are gentle on Peter's arms as he speaks softly and takes measured breaths. When the attack is over, Peter buries his head against Tony’s chest and Tony wraps him in a loving embrace. Natasha looks away from the private moment. She can hear Tony’s low, reassuring voice, though she can’t make out what he is saying. She decides it’s best to leave the room. 

...

On the team’s first mission as the Avengers again, they're fighting some alien race or another and Peter is left back at the tower under strict protocols that only let Peter out of the building if there is an emergency. 

Tony is glad to be back with the team and as much as he wants to deny it, he missed them. He missed Clint’s quips and he missed the effortless teamwork between him and Steve. But as much as he lives the team, he can't help the nagging voice in the back of his head that is constantly worrying about Peter. He had asked May about it she said that it was called parenting, whatever that meant.

Back at the tower, Peter anxiously paces the room (including the ceiling). Since the moment they left he has not been able to stand still. He groans and flips off of the ceiling and onto the couch. 

“FRIDAY, is everyone okay?” Peter asks the ceiling. 

“Yes, Peter, everyone is just fine,” FRIDAY replies calmly. 

Peter sighs, “When are they going to be back?” He paces the floor and walks into the kitchen and then back. 

“I’m not sure.” FRIDAY replies, “I estimate about 45 minutes.”

“Thanks, FRI,” Peter says. He walks back into the living room and cues up some movie to take his mind off of what’s happening. He brings the fluffiest blankets out from his room and makes a bowl of popcorn. He settles down in his usual place on the couch and packs the blankets around himself.

Before the opening credits are even done, FRIDAY speaks again, “Peter, you have an incoming call from Steve Rogers.”

“Pick it up,” Peter says, leaping to his feet. 

“Peter,” Steve’s voice comes through the speakers, “I need you to get down to Bruce’s lab right now.”

“What’s going on?” Peter asks, his voice riddled with anxiety. 

“Your dad’s suit stopped working. We can’t hear anything from inside, the suit won’t open, and FRIDAY can’t get into it,” Steve says. Peter can hear his quick breath as if he is running. 

“I’m on my way,” Peter says, trying not to panic.

Peter runs to the elevator and as it whirrs downward, he wrings his hands tightly together. By the time he reaches the lab, he thinks he going to throw up. He pushes himself out of the elevator and runs into the lab. There he sees the team scattered around the room all clearly worried, but his eyes immediately go to the Iron Man suit laid out on the table. The suit doesn’t move and doesn’t make any noise. 

When Bucky sees Peter enter the room, he immediately walks over to him and gives him a hug. Peter is grateful for the comfort as he melts into the embrace. Bucky asks if he’s okay and when he receives a small nod, he walks Peter over to Bruce and where his dad’s suit lies.

“Bruce?” Bucky asks for Peter. Bruce looks over and gives Peter a sympathetic smile. 

“Hello, Peter,” Bruce says. His eyes are tired. 

“Is he going to be okay?” Peter asks, his voice is much quieter than he wants it to be. 

Bruce sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “I don’t know. I’m sorry, Peter, but I don’t know.” 

Peter feels Bucky tighten his arm around him as he takes a measured breath. “Will you let me help you?” Peter’s voice is teary as he speaks. 

“Peter I don’t know if that-” Bruce sighs. 

“Please,” Peter pleads, his voice cracking, “Bruce you know that I am good with machines, I helped him build the armor, I need to know if he’s okay.” 

Bruce thinks for a moment before he says, “Alright,” Bruce concedes. Bucky gives Peter one last squeeze before walking over to where Steve sits with his head in his hands. Peter and Bruce begin working to get Tony out of the Iron Man suit, spiraling around each other, exchanging ideas. Over the course of several hours, the rest of the Avengers leave (each giving Peter a hug or a quiet exchange of words before leaving). Eventually, Peter and Bruce are alone. Then Bruce leaves to get then dinner, leaving Peter alone. 

Peter looks around the room, making sure it’s empty before he pulls up a chair beside the suit and begins to talk, “I hope you’re okay in there,” Peter says, his fingers gripping the hands of the suit. “But um, we can’t get in the suit as we don’t even know if you still have a heartbeat.” Peter bites his lip and shakes his head, “I want you to be here so I can give you a hug, so I can-” Peter cuts himself off with a sob, “so I can call you dad. I never had a dad, I mean I did, but I don’t remember him. Then I had an uncle, but never a real dad. And now I have you and it’s-it’s scary being faced with the idea of never seeing you again.” Peter wipes his eyes and continues, “Shit,” he laughs dryly, “this is going to be really embarrassing if you can hear me.” Peter wipes his face and takes a slow breath, “I-I, um, I love you, dad.”

“Peter, you okay?” Bruce asks. Peter looks up and sees Bruce walk into with two bowls of steaming soup. 

“I’m fine,” Peter says, his voice wobbly.

Bruce nods and walks over to him, “Steve made soup if you’re hungry.” Peter shakes his head and begins to work again. Bruce sighs, “Peter, you need to eat. You have fast metabolism. You could die if you don’t eat.” 

Peter shakes his head, “If I don’t keep working, he could die! Bruce, my dad might already be dead and I have...I have no idea,” Peter chokes out, his eyes brimming with tears. Bruce says nothing but sets the bowls down on the table and hugs Peter tightly. 

“I promise that everything will be okay,” Bruce says in a calming voice, “no matter what happens. But you need to eat and if your dad was here he would tell you to take care of yourself first.” 

Peter takes a calm breath and nods. Bruce passes him his soup and sits down beside him. 

“Thank you, Bruce,” Peter says quietly. 

“Of course, kid.”

Peter and Bruce work all through the night. Peter only takes one break when Bruce forces him to take a short nap on the couch. Peter is about to collapse with exhaustion Bruce frantically taps his shoulder. 

“I think we did it,” Bruce says with a soft gasp. All of Peter’s exhaustion melts away as he comes to stand beside Bruce, looking over the code. Bruce presses enter on the keyboard and they both hold their breath. 

The suit clicks open. 

Tony’s eyes are closed, but Peter can hear him breathing. His face is peaceful, but the tips of his fingers are bloody as if he tried to get out from the inside. Peter just stares. Bruce takes a step back, letting Peter go to his dad. 

“Dad?” Peter asks, his eyes red. Peter reaches out and touches Tony's hand. Tony's eyes fly open in a panic. He yanks his arm away before he sees Peter. Tony's movements still as his eyes meet Peter's. 

“Peter,” Tony breathes. He sits up and brings Peter into a tight hug. Tony can feel Peter begin to cry against his chest and he holds him even tighter. Over Peter's shoulder he sees Bruce, he mouths out 'thank you’ Bruce nods and turns away. Tony presses a kiss to the top of Peter’s head.

“I'm alright, kid,” Tony whispers to Peter. “I’m alright.” 

Peter clings as close as he can to him, “Dad,” Peter whimpers. 

“I’m here, bambino,” Tony says quietly, “We’re okay.” Peter can feel Tony smile and he looks up at him with confusion. Why would he be smiling right now? Tony’s eyes soften, “You called me dad.” Peter blushes and hides his embarrassment by ducking his head against Tony. Tony laughs, “It’s okay, kid. If you want to call dad, you can.”

Peter smiles shyly, “I think I do.”


	4. He's Spiderman???!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish

Peter wakes up to the sun streaming in through his window. He blinks sleepily and looks at his clock. 9:30. Not too bad for a weekend. He deliriously shoves the blankets off of himself and swings his feet to touch the ground. 

“Good morning, Peter,” FRIDAY greets. “Boss has asked me to tell you that breakfast is ready and to come down when you’re ready.” 

Peter yawns, “Thanks, FRI.” 

Peter moves slowly through his morning routine and he is ready in fifteen minutes. Peter pads out of his bedroom and walks slowly into the kitchen. Tony, Steve, and Natasha all sit at the breakfast bar eating pancakes and sipping glasses of orange juice. Sam stands at the stove and flips pancakes onto a plate. 

“Morning, kid,” Tony says. Peter walks over to him and gives him a quick hug. 

“Morning, dad,” Peter says quietly and he doesn’t miss the way Tony’s face lights up. 

“Here, Peter,” Sam says. He holds out a plate to him. Peter thanks Sam, takes the plate and sits down in the remaining chair at the counter, besides Steve. 

“What do you think about doing some more training today?” Steve asks him after a moment. 

Peter lights up, “Yeah! Can Bucky help again?” 

Steve smiles, “I think he’d love that.”

After breakfast, Steve and Bucky leave to get ready for training. Peter slides off his chair and places his dishes in the dishwasher. As Tony watches him, he sees Peter is deep in thought. Peter shakes his head as if trying to dispel his own thoughts. 

Tony walks over to Peter as Sam walks off, “All good, kid?”

Peter shakes his head, “Dad, how long do we have to keep this secret?” He asks. 

Tony furrows his brow, “What?”

Peter sighs in frustration, “They don’t know I’m Spiderman, what if they find out!” He exclaims. 

Tony puts a hand on top of Peter’s head and gently ruffles his hair, “It’s okay, kid. I think Cap will be cool about it.” 

Cap was not cool with it. Bucky had been supervising Peter and Cap sparring. It was going just fine until Peter had started zoning out. He put himself on autopilot and fights Steve easily since he is trying to teach Peter and not trying to actually fight him. Then Peter’s spider-sense went crazy as Steve tried to fake him out. 

Peter grabs Steve’s arm halfway through the punch. Peter flips himself backward, taking Steve with him. Steve lets out a cry of surprise as he falls flat on the mat. Peter freezes once he realizes what happened. He just used his super strength against THE Captain America. Then he realizes that he just revealed that he has super strength. THEN he realizes that he just did a flip that he should have no way of knowing how to do. 

He looks down at Steve and sees him staring up at Peter in shock, “I’m sorry!” Peter says. He reaches a hand down to help Steve up. Steve pauses for a moment and then gingerly takes his hand. Once he is standing, Steve walks over to Bucky who shares the same shocked expression. 

Peter looks down and tugs on the hem of his shirt. Steve takes a step forward, “How did you do that? You’re sixteen.” 

Peter nods, “Um, my dad said I was like you, enhanced or whatever.” 

Steve’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head, “You’re enhanced?” Peter nods. “For how long?”

“About two or three years now,” Peter says calmly. His dad said that Steve would be fine with it. But something tells Peter that that is not how this conversation is going. 

Steve takes a deep breath. “Did your dad do this to you?” 

Peter’s head snaps up, “What?”

“Peter,” Bucky says, “Steve is asking if your dad gave you your enhancements.”

Steve sighs, “I swear to God if that man hurt a child, his child, he’s never going to hear the end of it. He has no right to be tampering with someone's life like that.” Steve looks up at the ceiling, “FRIDAY get Tony here now.”

“He’s on his way,” FRIDAY says simply. 

Peter says nothing, knowing Steve wouldn’t listen. Bucky and Steve ask him questions, but he doesn’t answer, choosing instead to simply look down and shake his head. He waits for his dad to get there. It takes Tony one minute to get there. 

When Tony opens the door all he sees is his son looking small and about to cry. Peter’s curly hair covers his eyes and his fingers dance along the hem of his shirt. His eyes are locked on the ground.

“Get away from him,” Tony says loudly. He rushes towards Peter, effectively placing himself between Peter and Steve and Bucky. He steps closer to Peter, trying not to overwhelm him. Peter reaches out and holds onto Tony’s arms. Tony puts a hand on the back of Peter’s head, “Are you okay?” Peter nods. “What happened.”

Peter pulls away and says quietly, “We were sparing and I accidentally used my super strength on Steve. I told him I was enhanced and he thinks that you gave me the enhancements and now he won’t stop talking about how you shouldn’t have messed up my life and-”

Tony kisses Peter’s forehead, “It’s alright. I’ll talk to him. Do you want to go somewhere else while I do?” 

Peter shakes his head, “Can I stay here?” Tony nods and turns to Steve and Bucky but keeps his arm around Peter.

“Rogers.” Tony says, “Do you have something to say to me?” 

Steve crosses his arms, “Did you enhance Peter?” 

“No,” Tony says simply. “Peter was bitten by a radioactive spider a couple of years back. It gave him his enhancements. He became a superhero called Spiderman.”

Steve holds up his hand, “You’re allowing him to be a superhero? He’s still a child!” He exclaims. 

“Steve, he’s-”

Steve cuts him off, “He could die, Tony! He’s your son and you’re letting him risk his life!” 

“I’m not-”

“Yes you are, every time he goes out there he could die!” Steve says loudly. “You need to protect him, Tony!”

“Shut up!” Peter yells. The room falls dead silent. “My dad found me when I was wearing pajamas to fight bad guys! He gave me the suit and he protected me!” Peter steps towards Steve, letting Tony’s arm drop off of him. “He has tried to stop me so many times from doing this, but I’m going to keep doing it. Do you know why? Because I’m the only one of you that is protecting the little guy!” Peter shakes his head, “If you try to stop me, it won’t work. My dad has given up trying to stop me and has dedicated his energy helping me stay safe instead, so if you ever say that he is not doing his best to help me I will drop kick you into the sun.” Peter says emotionally. Everyone is silent. 

Tony steps up and hugs Peter tightly. He whispers, “Why don’t you go help Pepper with lunch?” Peter nods and leaves the room. 

Tony looks back up at Steve. Bucky pats Steve’s shoulder and follows Peter. Steve pinches the bridge of his nose, “I’m sorry, Tony. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. It’s just that kid...he’s so young and innocent and I-”

“I know, Rogers. And I forgive you.” Tony shrugs, “Peter has a way of working his way into everyone’s hearts.”

Steve smile, “Yeah, he does. He’s a good kid, Tony and I can see how much he means to you.”

Tony nods, “Yeah, uh, he does. I can’t see myself without him anymore.” 

Steve bites his lip, “Can I ask you a question?” Tony nods. “Will you let me help him?”

Tony thinks for a moment, “I think he would like that. He really looks up to you, you know.” Tony shrugs, “It will help me rest easy knowing he has some proper training.”

Steve extends his hand to Tony, “Thank you, Tony.” Tony shakes his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you catch my Civil War reference?


	5. Mom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read this so far I am so thankful for you and hope you're doing well. 
> 
> Tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish

“Peter?” Pepper calls as she knocks on his door. 

“Yeah?” Peter says, his voice muffled from behind the door. 

Pepper smiles, “Your dad and I are going to a meeting, okay?” 

“Okay!” Peter says. “When’ll you be back?” 

“No later than five.” Pepper replies, “If you need anything, call Bruce. We’ll see you later!”

“Okay!” Peter calls, “Thanks, mom!” Pepper’s heart nearly burst with happiness at the word. Peter had never called her that before.

Since Peter’s adoption, Pepper and Peter have grown closer. They have teamed up on numerous occasions to force Tony to sleep or to eat or simply to get away from his work. And Tony has put her in charge of Peter when he goes off on missions. Pepper thinks of one night when the team was away, Pepper had distracted Peter from worrying about everyone by playing Finding Nemo. And just like she planned, Peter was asleep within twenty minutes. He curled up against her stomach, nuzzling closer to her in his sleep. Pepper could feel her heart melting. 

Pepper can’t help loving the boy or being protective of him. She never thought that Peter felt the same, but he just called her mom. Pepper smiles to herself and walks away from the door. 

Tony meets her at the elevator and when he sees her smile, he matches it. As the doors close, Tony takes her hand that is not holding her clipboard. He sweetly kisses the back of her hand. Pepper kisses his cheek, “I have something amazing to tell you.” 

Tony grins at her, “Yeah?”

Pepper nods, “Peter just called me mom.” 

Tony grins, “Of course he did. I can’t believe it took him this long.” Pepper and Tony hug with wide smiles. 

Back in Peter’s room, he’s having a crisis. 

As soon as he calls Pepper Potts mom, he freezes. He waits for Pepper to say something, she doesn’t. He can hear her even breathing from the other side of the door. After a moment, she walks away, her heels clicking on the floor. 

“FRIDAY?” Peter asks, tugging at his hair, “Did I really just call Pepper mom?” He flops onto his bed, stuffing his face against his pillow. 

“Yes, Peter, I can confirm that you did.” FRIDAY says sweetly. 

Peter groans, “Can you delete the footage?” 

FRIDAY sounds as smug as an AI can when she says, “I’m sorry, Peter, but you do not have that authority to do that.” Peter groans again and burrows himself deeper into his bed, covering his head with the blanket. He sits like that for a moment, before he sits up. He brushes his hair out of his eyes. 

“Did they leave yet, FRI?” Peter asks. 

“Yes, Peter, boss and Miss Potts have left for their meeting.” 

Peter sighs in relief and walks out of his room. He contemplates calling Bruce, but he ultimately decides not to. Instead, he piles four blankets from the living room into his arms. He grabs a bag of chips and goes back to his room. He has FRIDAY play a Star Wars movie and he hunkers down on the bed. 

When Pepper and Tony come back home, Peter isn’t in his usual spot on the couch. 

“FRIDAY, where is he?” Tony asks. 

“Peter is currently hiding under a pile of blankets in his room,” FRIDAY says. Pepper and Tony share a fond look. 

“Go talk to him,” Tony says. He kisses Pepper’s cheek, she smiles and walks away from Tony. 

She knocks softly on Peter’s door, “Peter?” She asks, “Can I come in?” 

“Yeah,” Peter says. His voice is muffled by the door and however many blankets are on top of him. Pepper quietly walks into the room, closing the door behind her. She smiles at the lump of blankets on the bed. She can see the lump rising and falling with Peter’s breathing no part of Peter is visible to her. 

She walks over to the bed, her feet sinking into the plush carpet. She sits down on the edge of the bed and puts a hand on the blanket pile. 

“Peter?” She asks. The lump shifts. “Are you in there?” She says with a soft laugh. Peter moves under the pile until his head pops out of the top. He turns his head to look at Pepper, blinking deliriously. “Hi, sweetie,” she says affectionately. She puts a hand on top of his head, winding her fingers through his curls. 

“Hi,” he says quietly. Peter leans into her touch, almost like a cat. “What do you want to talk about?” 

Pepper smiles, “You called me mom.” 

Peter blushes and pulls away, “I’m sorry, Pepper. I didn’t mean to, it just slipped out. It won’t happen again, I-”

Pepper cuts Peter off, “Peter, look at me.” He does, his eyes flicking up to hers in shame. “I’m honored that you called me mom. If that is what you want to call me, it’s alright.” Pepper says, she brushes her thumb along Peter’s cheekbone. “And if you don’t that’s fine too. Peter, I think of you as my son and nothing you do will ever change that, okay?”

Peter smiles, “Is it okay that I think of you like my mom?”

“Of course,” Pepper says. She squeezes Peter’s hand and pulls him into a hug. She keeps one hand around his waist and puts the other on the back of his head. Peter hugs her back. “I love you, Peter,” she whispers. 

Peter smiles, “I love you too, mom.” 

Pepper kisses the top of his head and pulls away, “Why don’t we go join your dad for dinner?” 

“Okay,” Peter says. They stand up, Peter extracting himself from the blanket pile. As they walk into the kitchen, they smell lasagna. Tony pulls a pan out of the oven and turns around to see his fiance and his son with their arms around each other. He can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. Peter breaks away from Pepper and hugs Tony. 

“Hi, dad,” he says. “How was your meeting?”

“It was fine, squirt.” He says, ruffling Peter’s hair. “I would have much rather have been here with you. But someone,” he looks at Pepper and Peter laughs, “says I don’t work enough.”

Pepper shakes her head with a laugh, “You don’t.” Pepper and Peter laugh while Tony rolls his eyes with a soft smile. 

“How about,” Tony says, “you two stop bullying me so we can eat?” Peter grins at him and nods. “Then go set the table, kid,” Tony says, gently pushing Peter towards the table. Peter rolls his eyes but begins to set the table. Tony turns to Pepper, “It went well?”

Pepper nods and Tony wraps an arm around her waist, “Yeah. It did. He said he thinks of me as his mom.” 

Tony smiles, “Of course he does. I could have told you that, Pep.”

“Mom! Dad!” Peter calls. “Can we eat now?” 

“Sure thing, kid!” Tony calls back. He looks to Pepper and they exchange a soft smile before joining their son for dinner.


	6. Leak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o! Thank you so much for continuing to read this and I'm so excited for what comes next!
> 
> Tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish

Peter wakes up on Saturday morning to his phone blowing up with notifications. He blinks his eyes open and grabs his phone, unplugging it in the process. He sits up as he glances at the clock, almost eleven. He turns his gaze back to his phone. The screen is filled with notifications from Ned, MJ, and everyone at his school. He scrolls down a bit and sees a ton of Instagram and Twitter notifications. Peter’s heart begins to race, something’s wrong. 

He opens his text from Ned. As his eyes scan the text, they blow wide in fear and shock, “FRIDAY?” He asks, his voice shaky. “What’s going on?”

FRIDAY says nothing for a moment, then, “Boss is waiting for you in the living room.”

Peter ignores FRIDAY and swipes away the texts and flips out his news app. A red notification pops up on the screen. It says: You are being blocked from this app.

“FRIDAY?” Peter asks again, “Why can’t I see the news?”

“Boss blocked the app on your phone. He is waiting for you in the living room,” FRIDAY says simply.

Peter’s hands start to shake. He dismisses the rest of his notifications and tucks his feet into his slippers. He stuffs his phone into his pocket. As he walks to the door, he tries to shove down his anxiety. 

Peter pads out of his room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He pauses for a moment in the doorway to the living room. His dad is sitting on the couch, hunched over his phone. Tony sets his phone aside and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Dad?” He asks quietly when he finally walks into the living room. Tony’s head snaps over to Peter. He stands up from the couch and walks over to his son. “What’s going on?”

Tony envelops Peter into a protective hug, “Something happened,” Tony says. Peter melts into his dad’s hug as Tony drags his hands through Peter’s curls. “The press found out about you. That you’re my son,” Tony explains. 

Peter’s head snaps back, “What?” Peter’s hands shake again and he pushes away from his dad, taking a few steps back. He digs his hands into his hair. “How did they find out?”

Tony shakes his head, “Someone took a picture of us when we were having dinner to celebrate your invention.” 

Peter wraps his arms around himself, “What do we do?” He asks, his voice shaky. 

“Peter,” Tony says calmly, “it’s going to be okay. I promise we’ll figure this out.” Tony puts his hands on Peter’s arms, grounding him. “Pepper and Happy are already working on damage control. We’re going to be okay.” 

“No, no, no,” Peter mutters. “Everyone knows, my phone was blowing up. And, and, and...” Peter begins hyperventilating. He stumbles away from Tony a bit. Tony quickly is in front of him and lowering him to the ground. 

“You need to breathe, Pete,” Tony says. He takes Peter’s hand and presses it against his heart, knowing that getting too close will overwhelm him. Peter closes his eyes and tries to slow down his breathing. 

After a moment, Peter’s breathing is back to normal. He says, “I’m alright, I’m sorry.” He leans forward, falling into Tony’s embrace. 

Tony kisses the top of his head, “It’s alright, Peter. You don’t need to apologize.”

Peter shakes his head, “Can I see the news?”

Tony sighs, “I’m sorry, Pete, but I don’t want you to see it.” Tony squeezes Peter’s arm, “They’re saying some pretty awful stuff about us.” Tony sighs, “I don’t want you to see that.” 

“Dad, please I-” 

“No, Peter,” Tony says. “I know what that’ll do to you, kid.”

Peter sighs and falls back, pressing his back against the wall, “What are we going to do?”

Tony moves to sit next to Peter against the wall, “Honestly, Peter, I don’t know.” Peter sighs and leans on Tony’s shoulder. “But I do know that your mom and I are not going to stop until everything is alright, I promise.” Peter and Tony sit in silence for a moment. 

“Am I going to be safe going outside?” Peter asks softly. Tony’s heart breaks at how scared his kid sounds. Tony pulls Peter tighter. 

“Of course, Pepper and I will meet with your principal and we’ll get you a bodyguard, it’ll be okay.” Tony says sincerely. Peter twists his thumbs together. Tony puts his hand on the back of Peter’s head, “What are you thinking?”

Peter sighs, “How I never want to go outside again.” Tony tugs Peter so he is tucked against his chest. Peter closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

“It’ll all blow over in a few weeks, Pete,” Tony says. 

Peter groans, “A few weeks?” 

Tony smiles, “I’m sorry, kid.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Peter mumbles. 

Tony and Peter stay on the ground like that for another hour. Tony mutes anyone from reaching them except for emergencies, opting instead to turn their phones off and hide them away. He makes Peter a large stack of pancakes and they sit down on the breakfast bar and eat in silence. Then they move to the couch. Peter stays pressed against Tony’s side. They cycle through all of Peter’s favorite movies and tv shows. Tony does his best to keep Peter’s mind off of the events of the day. Pepper comes home at about six o’clock. When she walks into the room, she sees her husband and her son curled up on the couch. Tony is leaning against the armrest of the couch with Peter beside him, Peter’s head is pillowed on his dad’s chest. Pepper sets her bag down and sighs. 

“How are you feeling, Peter?” Pepper asks as she sits down beside him. 

Peter looks up from where his head rests on Tony’s chest, “I’m okay,” Peter says quietly. 

Pepper brushes his hair away from his face, “Are you sure?” 

Peter nods, “Yeah, I’m just nervous about what’s going to happen next.” He shrugs, “I’m alright though, I turned off my phone, so I’m okay.”

Pepper nods. She curls up with her family on the couch while a movie plays quietly in the background. They stay like that for the rest of the night and into the morning. And squished between his parents, Peter has never felt safer.


	7. Kidnapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in four hours?????? Y'all idk what's happening but I hope you guys like this! I worked really hard on this and I hope you enjoy.

After the leak, Pepper and Tony choose to pull Peter out of school until they got everything sorted out. Peter got his assignments from Ned and he called him every day. Tony kept Peter away from the news and the tabloids. After a particular stressful press conference, Tony threatened no less than twelve reporters, Peter was allowed back at school. 

Tony assigned Happy to be Peter’s permanent bodyguard. He convinced the school to hire tighter security and he had Bucky and Natasha teach him self defense. Happy got similar training on how to protect Peter from Natasha. Tony, Happy, Rhodey, and Natasha spent countless hours working on the best ways to protect Peter while Pepper worked to keep Peter out of the press. Peter protested that Tony was being too overprotective, then he got kidnapped.

Peter jolts awake when a bucket of cold water is thrown on him. His eyes dart quickly around the room, trying to get his bearings. He is tied to a chair in a dark room. The walls and floors are concrete and in the distance, there is a faint dripping sound. What shocks Peter the most is that he can’t hear traffic. Water drips from Peter’s hair and into his eyes, he blinks it away. Then Peter’s eyes fall on the men standing in front of him. There are three of them, all with large muscles. The man in front tosses the bucket aside, it clatters to the ground, making Peter wince. 

“Good, you’re up,” the man says. His voice is deep and gruff. He turns his back to Peter and looks at the other men, “How long until Jackie and Gordon are ready?”

“She said four minutes max,” The second man says. It looks like he’s about to say something more, but Peter interrupts him. 

“What do you want?” Peter asks, his voice venomous. He jerks against the restraints holding him in place. 

The man laughs, “What do you think we want, little boy?” He grabs Peter’s wet hair and snaps his head back, “We want your old man to give us money in exchange for your life.” 

Peter simply glares, “Good luck with that, my dad is probably already on his way here right now.”

The second man laughs, “No, he’s not. He has no way to find you,” the man walks over to Peter and patronizingly pats his cheek. “He’s not coming.” Peter jerks away from the touch. 

“Let him loose,” the first man says. “We need to give Stark a little incentive to pay us.” 

The third man takes a key off his belt and unlocks the cuffs on Peter’s wrists and ankles. He is jerked to his feet and roughly pulled into another room. There a man and a woman standing behind a camera. Peter’s eyes plead for them to help, the woman tosses her hair over her shoulder with a laugh. She pulls a small knife from her pocket and begins to clean her nail, she reminds Peter strikingly of Natasha. 

The man shoves Peter in front of the camera, laughing as he falls to the ground. Peter begins to stand, but he is pulled to his feet with a small yelp. The man forces Peter to face the camera and Peter sees a small red light blinking, it’s recording. The man puts his arm around Peter, holding him close to his chest, a gesture his dad did so often when Peter was anxious. Peter tries to push himself away, but the man only tightens his grip on Peter, his fingers digging painfully into Peter’s arm.

“We have your son, Stark,” the man says to the camera. Peter whimpers as the man tightens his arm around him. “Give us fourteen million dollars and we will let him live.” Peter’s breathing falters for a second at the words and then the man shoves Peter backward, slamming him into the wall. Peter cries out as the man walks closer and punches him across the face and then quickly brings his knee to his stomach. That’s when he realizes something is wrong, he should be stronger than this. Spiderman can take a punch to the face. The man laughs, “If you’re wondering what’s happening, we know he’s enhanced.” Peter feels his blood run cold. His mind whirls with panic, but then he hears the man say, “We drugged him and took away his healing factor.” Peter curls in on himself and groans.

The second man walks up to Peter and kicks him sharply in the stomach with steel-toed boots. Peter can feel his ribs cracking under the pressure. Peter bites his lip to keep from screaming, he can’t tell if he’s crying or if the water from his hair is dripping into his eyes. He can hear someone talking, but he can’t focus on what they’re saying. All he feels is pain. He blinks his eyes and sees blood on the floor. He knows it’s his and that it must be becoming from his nose. He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to imagine he’s somewhere else. He takes a few slow breaths, but he can’t stop a scream when someone steps on his right wrist, snapping the bones. That’s when he blacks out. 

When Peter wakes up, the first thing he feels is pain, then cold. He opens his eyes to find himself lying horizontally on the ground. He lifts his head up and sees a small grey room with no windows and a single door. The room is empty except for him. He looks down his body and finds his clothes torn and dirty. He tries to sit out, but he puts pressure on his wrist. He cries out in pain and collapses back against the floor. He looks down at his hand and finds his wrists bent to an angle. He quickly looks away, fighting the urge to vomit. He slowly manages to sit up and lean against the wall, gasping in pain. 

The shivers that wrack his body only make his injuries hurt more. He feels hot tears dripping down his cheeks as he holds his broken wrist to his chest. He tries to calm his panic by breathing slowly, but that only aggravates the pain in his ribs.

“Dad,” he sobs quietly, “please help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish


	8. Savior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all i have so much free time now so here you go!
> 
> Tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish

Peter stays as still as he can. He quickly figures out that whatever drug they gave him only took away his healing factor, not his enhanced metabolism or his stickiness. His stomach growls and he squeezes his eyes closed. According to the tests he ran with Bruce, he can only last three days without food. Peter doesn’t know how long he’s been here, but he can estimate it has been about two days. Then the door flies open. Peter’s heart soars for a second, it must be his dad coming to rescue him, but in walks one of the men. 

Peter whimpers softly as the man walks closer to him. He presses himself closer to the wall, pulling his uninjured leg to his chest.

The man laughs, “Are you afraid of me?” He walks closer to Peter until he is standing right in from of him. Peter ducks his head, his hands shaking. The man stomps loudly on the ground next to Peter’s ankle, causing Peter to flinch, “Answer me when I ask you a question.” The man crouches down to Peter’s eye level. “Are you afraid of me?” The man asks slowly. Peter narrows his gaze at him and then spits in his eyes. 

The man stands up. He wipes the spit off of his face with his hand and stands up with a menacing laugh. The man gives Peter an unkind smile before slamming his foot down against Peter’s stomach and ribs. Peter screams and curls into himself, not caring that it only intensifies the pain. Peter gasps for air, pressing his cheek against the cold wall. The man laughs again and walks out. 

Peter swears under his breath as he tugs his shirt up with his good hand. He swears again when he sees how bruised his chest is. He gently drags his fingers across his skin, prodding it slightly. Dark blue, purple, and yellow bruises cover him from his ribs to his hips. Peter tips his head back against the wall as he tries to keep from crying. 

He doesn’t know how long he sits like that, but at some point, the three men come back. They pull him to his feet, ignoring his yelps of pains. They pull him into the hallway. The lights are painfully bright and Peter can hardly stand to keep his eyes open.

Then he remembers something Natasha told him, kidnappers, who plan to let you go never show you their faces. Well, he is looking at three very unmasked faces. And suddenly Peter is filled with a bout of hopelessness. 

If he can’t hear cars that means he’s not in the city so he has no clue if he’s even in the US anymore, let alone in New York. If he’s seeing their faces, it means they’re going to kill him, even if his dad pays. The fact that his dad hasn’t come for him means that he doesn’t have his tracker. Or maybe it means that his dad didn’t get the message they sent yet. Or maybe he thinks that Peter can get out on his own. But then Peter thinks, what if his dad doesn’t want to come to get him. Peter begins to think about every way that he has inconvenience Tony and made his life harder. He needs too much food, he practically forced himself into his family, and can’t think of one reason Tony would want him as a son. Peter’s heart hurts. He’s not coming, Peter tells himself, why would he? 

The men walk him into the same room he woke up in, strapping him down to the chair with metal cuffs. Peter is so lost in thought that he doesn’t hear when the men are saying to him. He is pulled out of his thoughts by a hard slap to the cheek. His head snaps to the side and he looks up at the men with wide eyes. 

“There we go,” the man says in a faux gentle voice. “Now you’re listening. We are going to record you asking Stark to pay up.” The man gently touches Peter’s cheek, “For some reason he refuses. I can’t imagine why.” Peter’s heart falls. Tony had received the message but he wasn’t coming for Peter. 

It seems as though the men heard his thoughts when he says, “Perhaps he doesn’t care about you a much as you thought, I mean, you are a publicity stunt.” Peter looks down in shame.

“Let’s begin,” the third man says. The man takes out a small microphone and holds it out to Peter. “Go.” He says. 

Peter takes a deep breath, no matter if Tony was coming or not Peter doesn’t want to have him pay the money he doesn’t need to. Peter’s going to die anyway. Peter begins to speak, “Dad,” Peter’s voice is shaky and filled with tears, “don’t do what they say. I can get myself-” 

Peter is cut off by one of the men stomping on his foot with his boots. Peter tries not to scream as the bones in his foot break under the pressure. He bites his lip so hard that it begins to bleed. 

“Try again, boy,” he says. 

Tears drip down Peter’s cheeks, he takes a slow breath, “D-dad, p-please I need-d help.” The men smile at each other at the words. “Da-ad, I’m I’m so sc-scared.” Peter takes a calming breath, “I-I love you, d-dad. And-d I’m s-sorry.”

The men turn off the microphone. One of them leans forward and ruffles Peter’s hair. Peter flinches at the gesture. When his dad ruffles his hair, it’s always kind and loving. Peter glares at the men, “Don’t touch me.” 

Then the man laughs he looks at the other men who join in the laughter. Then the man steps forward and punches him square across the face. Peter’s head snaps back. He whimpers and tries to make himself as small as possible in the chair. He knows the men are talking but he can’t hear them. 

Then there is a large bang. The door to the room flies off of its hinges. Peter screams at the loud noise and ducks his head. He squeezes his eyes shut, stopping the flow of tears from his eyes. He hears the men gasp in surprise and swear. Loud footsteps echo through the room.

“Get away from my son.”


	9. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am BLOW AWAY by the love this story has been receiving! Thank you so much to everyone who has given me kudos and commented on this! I'm sorry if how much I've been updating is annoying, but I'm feeling it guys!
> 
> Anyways, hmu with prompts, questions, or just general chatter on my tumblr: romeoandjulietyouwish

As soon as he hears those words Peter tears his eyes open. He sees Iron Man blasting his three kidnappers against the wall. As soon as they are all unconscious, Tony steps out of the suit. Peter sobs in relief as his dad rushes towards him. 

“Peter...” Tony breathes. He quickly releases Peter from his restraints and pulls him into a soft hug, mindful of his injuries. 

“Dad,” Peter sobs. He tries to press his nose against his dad’s neck, but then he remembers it’s broken. He cries out in pain and falls back against the floor. 

“Oh, Peter,” Tony says. He leans forward and takes his hands. “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe now.” Peter nods, but he can’t stop crying. “Come on, we need to go, okay?” Peter nods again. He lets Tony pulls him to his feet. Tony sits Peter back in the chair for a second before getting back in the armor, then lifts Peter into his arms. Peter curls into the metal embrace with a soft cry. 

Tony carries Peter out of the room. As they walk through the hallways, Peter realizes just how much larger the building is than he thought. Then they walk up a large set of stairs and out the doors. Peter doesn’t recognize where they are. He twists his heads around a bit, but he sees nothing he recognizes. 

“Where are we?” Peter asks, his voice weak from screaming. 

“About 13 hours outside the city,” Tony says from inside the suit. Peter’s eyes land on the Quinjet and inside he can see Bruce, Pepper, and Steve standing at the door. When they get inside, Pepper begins to cry. She sinks down on to the seats with her hand over her mouth as she takes in the sight of her son. 

Tony lays Peter gently down on the gurney and sits down beside Pepper, pulling her into his arms. Tony and Pepper watch as Bruce begins to cut away Peter’s clothes and assessing his injuries. Within seconds of Peter being in a safe environment, he passes out. Bruce assures Tony and Pepper that he’s alright and begins to set all of Peter’s broken bones temporarily until they can get home. Bruce gives Peter an oxygen mask.

He sits down beside Pepper, “I’m sorry, but that’s all I can do for him until we’re back at home.” 

Pepper nods, “Thank you, Bruce.” She squeezes his hand. Bruce hands Pepper a granola bar, “If he wakes up, give him this.” 

Tony nods, “Thank you.” As Bruce walks away, Tony pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Oh God, Tony,” Pepper says quietly. “What are we going to do?” 

Tony sighs, “I don’t know. But for now, we just need to make sure he’s okay.” Pepper nods.

Pepper and Tony sit watching Peter with their arms around each other. It takes them a little under ten hours to get home and the entire time, Peter never wakes up. Bruce checks on him periodically, but they’re nothing more he can do until they get home. 

The second the Quinjet lands, Bruce has Steve and Tony push the gurney into the building and to the med wing. There, Bruce, assisted by Helen Cho and her team, get Peter into surgery immediately. Tony and Pepper sit in the hallway outside, anxiously waiting. As some point Clint brings them both cups of coffee, he sits with them for a while and then he is replaced by Natasha, then Bucky, and then Steve.

Peter ends up being in surgery for five hours. When Bruce comes out and tells them that they can go in, Tony first hugs Bruce before walking into the room. Pepper exchanges a word with Bruce thankfully before following her husband inside.

Inside, Peter lays in the hospital bed with a red cast on his wrist and another one on his foot. His chest is wrapped in bandages over what Bruce explains to be several broken and cracked ribs. Peter’s face and chest are covered with several large bruises and an IV is in his arm as well as an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. 

Tony and Pepper sit down in the chairs beside the bed without speaking. Tony reaches out and takes Peter’s hand. 

“He was gone for two days,” Pepper says quietly. “How did this happen in two days?”

“I don’t know,” Tony says. He shakes his head, “If there hadn’t been that leak then this wouldn’t have happened, then...”

“You can’t blame yourself,” Pepper says, gently rubbing his back. “It’s not your fault. I’m sure Peter doesn’t blame you.”

Tony rests his head in his hands. Pepper pulls him into a tight hug and the two of them just hold on to each other. 

Peter wakes up after two more days. 

He blinks his eyes open slowly and he finds himself staring up at fluorescent lights. He can feel his heart rate picking up as he tries to identify where he is. His breath comes quickly, but he finds the movement of his chest restricted by something. That only makes him panic more. 

“Peter, hey, Peter, it’s okay,” a calm voice says. 

Peter closes his eyes and shakes his head. “No, no, no, please don’t hurt me,” Peter whimpers.

“You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you,” the voice says again. “Open your eyes and see.” Peter cracks his eyes open and sees his dad in front of him. 

“Dad?” He asks quietly. 

Tony nods, his eyes pooling with tears, “I’m here.” 

“Am I home?” Peter asks. Tony nods and Peter looks down, “I’m sorry, dad.”

Tony sits down on the bed beside him, “What are you sorry about, bambino?” Tony pushes Peter’s hair out of his eyes. Peter flinches, his eyes blowing wide. 

“Peter,” Tony breathes, putting his hand back on his leg. 

Peter shakes his head, “I’m sorry I-” Peter is cut off by Pepper walking into the room. 

“Peter!” She gasps when she sees him awake. She runs to his side and sits down beside Peter, opposite Tony. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m good,” Peter says softly. “My chest hurts a little, but it’s okay.” 

Pepper sighs, “FRIDAY, tell Bruce that Peter is awake.” 

“He’s on his way,” FRIDAY replies. 

Peter’s eyes fill with tears and he looks down to keep his parents from seeing. It doesn’t work. 

“What’s wrong, bambino?” Tony asks. 

Peter takes a gasping breath, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to have to come to get me, I should have gotten out myself, but they drugged me and I...” Peter drags off with a sob. 

Pepper takes his hand, “It was not your fault, Peter,” she says. “Of course we came for you. We love you, Peter.”

Peter shakes his head, “I made you come to save me. I’m making your lives harder and I’m sorry. I’ll leave and you’ll never have to see me again,” Peter ducks his head as tears stain his cheeks.

“Stop.” Tony says sharply. Peter flinches and whimpers at the tone of his voice. Tony can feel his heart cracking. “I’m sorry, Peter. I need to...to go.” Tony abruptly stands up and nearly runs out of the room. 

Peter holds himself together until Tony leaves before he sobs and leans against Pepper’s chest. Pepper turns away from the door to hug her son. “Give him some time,” Pepper says. “He’s been a bit overwhelmed by the whole ordeal.”

Peter shakes his head into Peter’s shoulder, “He hates me.”


	10. Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, I WROTE THIS CHAPTER! It took me so long (it was only two days but that's a while to me). This is officially the longest chapter I have ever written and I'm so happy! I promise more fluff is to come!
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish

Peter swings his legs off the side of the bed. He looks up at Bruce who holds the crutches out to him with a soft smile. Peter looks to May and Pepper who both give him encouraging smiles. Peter takes the crutches, Bruce puts a warm hand on his back to steady him and gently helps him to his feet. Once Peter is standing May and Pepper look at him proudly.

Four days ago, Peter was rescued from captivity. Peter hasn’t seen Tony since. It took Bruce two days to figure out what drug they used on him and one more to find how to get it out of his system. May and Pepper never left Peter’s side throughout the ordeal. Together, the two women managed to keep Peter in his bed until Bruce was satisfied he was well enough to walk around. He is eternally thankful for Pepper and May for being his rocks. He tried as hard as he could to not miss his dad and to wish that he was with him but having Pepper and May helped.

Peter balances on the crutches, leaning forward slightly. Bruce steps away, letting Peter stand on his own. He looks to his aunt and mother with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“You okay, sweetie?” May asks. She slowly tucks a lock of hair behind his ear.

Peter sighs and shakes his head, “I want to see dad.” 

Pepper frowns, “I know, but he’s not taking this too well. I think it would be best if you didn’t see him for now. I’m sorry, Peter,” Pepper says sympathetically.

Peter looks down, his eyes watering, “I’m sorry.” 

“Oh, Peter,” May says. “It’s alright, can I give you a hug?” Peter nods and May moves slowly into hugging Peter. When she pulls away she asks, “Why don’t we go get some breakfast?” Peter nods and the four of them slowly walk out of the room. 

It takes Peter a few minutes to adjust to the crutches, but he quickly gets the hang of it. As they walk into the kitchen, Peter finds Steve and Bucky making breakfast. Natasha and Clint sit at the breakfast bar talking quietly, nibbling on bacon and eggs. Steve smiles when he sees Peter. 

“Good morning, Peter,” Steve says happily. “Want some breakfast?” Peter nods and Steve holds out a plate towards him. Peter furrows his brow as he tries to figure out how to take the plate. May smiles at him, takes the plate, and sets it down in the space beside Natasha. Peter slides onto the stool, resting his crutches against the counter. Natasha offers him a warm smile.

“How are you feeling ребенок паук?” Natasha asks. 

Peter shrugs, moving food around on his plate, “I’m okay. I’m going to therapy tomorrow and Bruce says all of my injuries will be healed by next week. I’ll be okay.”

“That great, Peter,” Natasha says She reaches over and gently squeezes his hand. As Peter begins to eat, she simply watches him for a moment. “And how are things with your dad?”

Peter shakes his head, “Can we please not talk about it?”

“Alright,” Natasha says. She turns back to her food. “What do you want to do today?” Peter shrugs. “Well, after a long mission, Clint and I always had a movie marathon. How does that sound?”

Peter smiles, “That sounds great.”

Natasha convinces Clint, Pepper, Steve, Bucky, and May to spend the day watching movies with them. The family piles onto the couch in the smaller living room, piling snacks and blankets on the coffee table. Peter ends up snuggled between Pepper and May with Bucky sitting on the ground in front of him. Pepper winds her fingers slowly through Peter’s curls. 

They all figured out pretty quickly that Peter doesn’t respond well to quick movements or raised voices. And they quickly made accommodations for Peter’s new behavior, like asking him before hugging him, making sure he knows what they’re doing, and talking at a normal volume at all times. 

At around ten o’clock, Peter falls asleep against Pepper’s arm. Steve carries him to his bedroom. That night is Peter’s first night back in his own bedroom. He manages to get about four hours of sleep before he is woken up with a nightmare. He wakes up with a strangled scream, quickly blinking his eyes to get rid of the nightmare. Peter takes a calming breath, dragging a hand through his hair, tugging on it lightly. He blindly reaches over and grabs for the pain killers on his bedside table. He swallows two pills and leans back against the headboard. 

“Peter you seem to be in distress, would you like me to alert your father?” FRIDAY asks. 

Peter shakes his head, “I’m alright, FRI.” Peter sighs. He lays back on the bed and closes his eyes. After fifteen minutes of trying to fall back asleep, Peter sits up with a groan, “FRIDAY, what’s my dad doing?”

“He is currently working in his lab, it is worth mentioning that he has been doing that for almost 36 hours straight,” FRIDAY replies. 

Peter’s eyes widen in surprise. Since his adoption, Tony has been taking better care of himself, sleeping every night and eating a normal amount. Then Peter realizes something, his kidnapping has sent Tony back into his old habits. Peter is filled with guilt as he twists his fingers together. But there is one more thing he needs to know.

“FRI, has dad been drinking?” Peter asks.

“No. Boss is not intoxicated,” FRIDAY replies. 

“Thank God,” Peter breathes. Then he makes a choice. Peter reaches over and grabs his crutches, tucking them under his arms. He hobbles out of his room and down the hall as quietly as he can. “FRIDAY, send me to the lab,” Peter says when he enters the elevator. The elevator moves quickly, not giving Peter a moment to second guess his choice to go see his father. When Peter exits the elevator, he can hear blasting music coming from the lab, despite it being at the end of the hallway. Peter winces. As he walks down the hallway, he tries to focus on the noise his crutches make as opposed to the painfully loud music.

Far too soon, Peter finds himself standing at the door. He bites his lip anxiously. As he pulls the door open, the music automatically quiets. 

Tony takes off his safety goggles and looks to Peter. And Peter is shocked by how horrible he looks. He has grease all over his hands and shirt, his hair is unwashed and sticking up in every direction, and to top off the cake, large dark circles are painted under his eyes. 

“Peter?” Tony asks. His posture goes rigged the second he sees his son. “What are you doing here?”

That’s when Peter begins to question his decision to come here, clearly his dad doesn’t want to see him. Peter shakes his head, “I’m sorry. I should go.” Peter turns around and starts back towards the door. 

“Peter, wait,” Tony calls. Peter turns around apprehensively. Tony walks over to him slowly, almost like he is a frightened animal. Tony’s brows furrow in concern. “Are you okay?”

Peter shakes his head and he can feel tears welling up in his eyes, “No, dad. I’m not okay.” Peter’s voice breaks. “I haven’t seen you in three days.” 

“I’m sorry, Peter,” Tony says honestly. “But you don’t understand-”

“Then explain it to me, dad!” Peter shouts. “Explain to me why you couldn’t be bothered to be there for me when I was, and still am, hurt. Explain to me why Clint, a man I barely know, was with me more than you were! Explain to me why you weren’t there dad!” Peter yells, tears streaming down his face. His hands squeeze tightly to his crutches.

“Peter, I was afraid-”

“No!” Peter shouts. “You don’t get to be afraid! You’re my dad, you’re supposed to help me and you’re supposed to always be there for me! Dad, I was kidnapped and beaten for two days!” Peter ignores the way Tony flinches at the words. “I thought I was going to die!” Peter takes a slow breath and talks calmly, “Dad, I was there the entire time you were trapped in your suit. I was there even though I thought you were dead. I helped you, dad. But you couldn’t do the same for me.” 

By the end of his speech, both Peter and Tony are crying. They stand in silence. Peter waits for his dad to say something, to hug him, to tell him that he’ll do better. But he says nothing. Then it all comes crashing down on Peter. He realizes that he just yelled at his dad, he yelled at him and now his dad won’t say anything to him. Peter shakes his head, “I’m sorry, dad, I’m s-sorry. I-I’ll stop-p bothering you now.” 

Tony says nothing. Peter sighs. The door clicks quietly shut behind him. He manages to get all the way back to his bedroom without crying, but the second his bedroom door closes behind him, he crumples to the ground sobbing. His crutches clatter to the ground, but Peter can’t bring himself to care. 

At some point, his door opens and Pepper pulls him into her arms. He can feel her talking to him, but he can’t listen. He passes out after twenty minutes and Pepper tucks him into his bed, piling in beside him. He wakes up to the sun shining past the curtains. Pepper is curled up beside him. His crutches rest neatly against his bedside table. He slowly pushes himself to sit. As the previous night’s events play in his mind, he tugs on his hair.

“Peter?” Pepper asks as she wakes up. “Are you alright?” Peter nods. “Can I hug you?” Peter nods again and Pepper gently wraps him in her arms. After a moment, Pepper kisses the crown of Peter’s head and says, “Now, if you excuse me, I have to go talk some sense into your idiot father.” Peter lets out a pitiful laugh. 

“Okay,” he says quietly.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you, Tony!” Pepper shouts when she walks into Tony’s bedroom. “Our son came to you in the middle of the night crying and you said nothing to him? Goddammit, Tony, all he wants is for you to be his dad!” Tony doesn’t look up from where he sits on his bed. “You have to make this right Tony, he needs you!” Pepper pleads. Tony says nothing. Pepper leaves. 

Peter is sitting at his desk in his room, catching up on homework when a tentative knock comes on the door. “Come in!” Peter calls. He closes his notebooks and turns to the door. The door swings open to reveal Tony standing hesitantly outside the doorway. “Dad,” Peter says apathetically. 

Tony nods and walks in, “Can I sit?” He asks, gesturing to Peter’s bed. Peter nods. Tony sighs, “Peter. I am so sorry,” Tony says, looking into Peter’s eyes. “It wasn’t fair of me to hide away when you needed me. Everything you said last night was true. And I want to give you an explanation for my behavior.” Peter nods for him to go on. “Now, I am in no way excusing my behavior over these last few days.” Peter nods in acceptance, “When you woke up in the hospital room I tried to touch you, but you flinched away from me.” Peter looks down shamefully, “It was not your fault, Peter.” After he sees that Peter acknowledges him, he continues, “That scenario reminded me of the relationship I had with my father.” Tony shakes his head, “He wasn’t the most gentle person and I grew up in fear of him. I never want you to feel that way around me.” Tony reaches out and takes Peter’s hand, “I’m sorry I abandoned you and I swear to you that I will never leave you again.” 

Peter launches himself into Tony’s arms and revels in the fact that his dad hugs him tightly, one hand buried in his hair. Peter presses his face into the crook of Tony’s neck. He can feel Tony rest his cheek on the top of Peter’s head. 

Peter whispers. “I forgive you.”


	11. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you so much for your patience for this chapter. I was hit with a horrible case of writer's block, but I got over the hump and now here we are! IDK when the next chapter will be up because frankly, I'm not quite sure how to wrap this up yet.

As Peter walks out of his bedroom, he feels a growing sense of anxiety. There is something wrong, but he doesn’t know what. 

The hallway is dimly lit and silent as he pads down it on the balls of his feet. Chills coat his arms and he wraps his sweater closer to him, his arms curling around his stomach. 

He pokes his head into the living room before walking in. It’s empty. Outside it's pitch black. 

“Hello?” He asks quietly. Nothing. Then he realizes that he doesn’t hear anything, no cars or sirens. He doesn’t even hear the air moving. It’s almost as if he is wearing noise-canceling headphones. 

He walks into the living room, pressing his anxiety down into his chest. Peter reaches out and clicks on a lamp by the couch. The soft yellow light illuminates the room. He slowly turns in a circle, trying to find something that could be causing his anxiety, but he finds the room empty.

Look out, a soft voice says in his ear. It’s a man’s voice, deep and unfamiliar to Peter. He spins around, but can’t find the source of the voice. 

“Hello?” Peter asks again, louder this time. “Dad?”

Then the windows break. 

All of the large windows shatter simultaneously, the glass spraying into the living room. A shard of glass cuts his cheek and Peter scrambles back. His eyes are wide and full of fear as he calls out of his parents. 

Then everything is still. The room is silent once more and Peter’s eyes dance around the room, expecting something to happen. After another moment of silence, Peter gingerly stands up. He walks slowly towards the broken windows, ignoring the glass painfully stabbing into his feet. His hands are balled into fists at his side and he forces himself to breathe slowly. 

When he reaches the windows, he finds nothing. Outside the broken window panes, he can only see dark, no buildings or lights, no anything, not even stars. Peter reaches out through the window pane, he only feels cold, no wind. He lets his hand hang out the window for a moment, but nothing happens. Peter furrows his brow and steps back, bringing his arm to his chest. 

Peter turns away from the window and starts to walk back towards his bedroom, but the second he turns his back to the windows he hears a thundering crash from behind him. He whirls around to see the floor of the room crumbling away, falling into the darkness. Peter screams and begins to run, but his foot catches on the leg of the couch and he sprawls onto the ground. 

“Mom! Dad!” He screams, “Help!” Peter’s heart beats like a hummingbird in his chest as he lifts himself upwards, but before he can fully stand, the floor falls out from under him. 

“-Ter! Wake up,” a voice says. Peter’s eyes fly open and his panicked gaze lands on the man sitting in front of him. Without thinking, Peter crushes himself into his arms. Hot tears press out of Peter's eyes and he digs his hands into the man’s shirt. “You’re okay,” the voice says softly. “You’re safe at home. It’s alright.” Peter takes a shaky breath, listening to the steady beat of the man’s heart. After a moment, Peter calms down. He pulls himself out of the embrace and looks at the man in front of him. 

“Bucky?” Peter asks softly. The man nods. “I’m sorry,” Peter says, pulling his knees up to his chest, “I didn’t mean to freak out.” Peter pushes his hair out of his eyes, looking down.

Bucky smiles sympathetically, “It’s alright.” Peter sniffs and wipes his cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt. 

“Where’s my dad?” Peter hiccups. 

“Your parents went on a business trip, remember?” Bucky says softly. Peter nods in understanding. “Peter, are you okay?”

Peter presses his shaking hands against his legs, “I-I’m fine.” Bucky gives him a look that tells him that he doesn't believe him. “Can I have a hug?” Peter asks. 

Bucky gives him a soft smile and opens his arms to the boy. Peter presses himself into the embrace, hiding his face against Bucky’s chest. 

“You know,” Bucky says, “you remind me a lot of Steve.”

Peter looks up at Bucky with wide eyes, “I do?”

Bucky nods, “Yep. You’re both self-sacrificing to a fault, never give up a fight, and you both are undoubtedly good people.” Peter smiles and presses himself closer to Bucky. Bucky sighs, “When we were younger, Steve would have nightmares all the time,” Bucky says. “He was so afraid of dying because he wanted to help people and be a hero. He didn’t want to die before he got to do that.” Bucky runs his hand across Peter’s back, “I always knew when he had a nightmare because he would climb through my bedroom window at three in the morning. The first few times he did it, I nearly shit my pants.” Peter chuckles and Bucky smiles. “He would crawl into my bed and tell me what had happened. He never wanted to be alone after nightmares. He told me once that it was because he didn’t know if he was still alive if he was alone. He came to me because he knew I would never let him be alone.”

Peter smiles up at Bucky, "Did his nightmares go away?"

Bucky sighs, "No. I want to tell you that they did, but..."

Peter's eyes are wide, "Captain America still has nightmares?"

Bucky smiles, "He sure does." Bucky gently ruffles the kid's hair. "A lot of us still do."

Peter frowns, "Are they ever going to go away?" He asks quietly. 

"I don't know," Bucky says honestly. "For when I know, you've been through a lot and trauma doesn’t exactly make nightmares any easier.”

“I know,” Peter mumbles. “I hate this. I just want to be normal and sleep through the night.”

Bucky sighs, “I know, kid. But you were kidnapped three weeks ago. You can't expect yourself just to bounce back."

Bucky and Peter sit there for a moment, Peter nudges himself closer to Bucky, "Thank you for being here."

"Of course, Peter," Bucky says with a small smile. "You're Tony's kid which makes you part of our family too." Peter yawns, looking almost like a kitten. "Get some sleep kid."

Peter nods sleepily and lays back down on his bed, Bucky gently pulls his blankets up to the boy’s shoulders. “G’night, Uncle Bucky,” Peter mutters. 

Bucky feels his heart swell at the words, “Goodnight, Peter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! If you want to give me a prompt or just come say hi, you can find me on tumblr @romeoandjulietyouwish
> 
> I always love hearing from people who read my fics so don't be shy to hmu!


	12. Heir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! I'm so freaking sorry that this took so long. If you read my most recent fic, you know that I've been having some issues with people sending me hate. So thank you to all of you who sent kind messages my way and helped defend me from some of the comments and hate <3\. 
> 
> I'm so happy that I finished this before Far From Home and I'm so proud of myself for finishing this. As of right now, this is the longest fic I have ever written! Thank you so much for reading this whether you've been here from the start or you just discovered it today, I'm happy you found it!

Tony knocks gingerly on Pepper’s office door. When she calls for him to come in, Tony walks in, smiling when he sees Pepper. 

“What are you doing here?” She asks happily as she stands up to greet him. Tony puts his hand on her waist as they kiss softly. 

“Visiting my beautiful fiance at work,” Tony says, he kisses her cheek. Pepper smiles and takes his hand, leading him to sit on the small loveseat. “There’s something else though, I wanted to talk to you about Peter.” 

Pepper’s face immediately grows concerned, “Is he alright?”

“Yeah,” Tony says with a soft laugh. She has grown to love the boy just as much as him. “Yeah, he’s fine. I was thinking, he’s only a few years away from being eighteen now and I was wondering what you would think about making him the heir to Stark Industries.” Tony takes a breath, “Before you say anything, I want to tell you that I think Peter is nearly, if not completely, smarter than me. He knows his way around mechanics as well as genetics and chemistry, which is more than I can say for myself. And we can teach him about running a business and-”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Pepper says, resting her hand on Tony’s cheek. Tony smiles and tilts his head to kiss her hand. “I can’t imagine anyone better to fill our shoes.” 

It takes two days for Tony to work up the courage to talk to Peter. He and Peter are working in the lab on updating some of the protocols on Peter’s suit. And once again, Tony finds himself floored by Peter’ brilliance as his fingers dance over the keyboard. 

Peter bites his lip and leans over, tugging on Tony’s sleeve, “Can you check this for me?”

“Sure thing, kid,” Tony schooches his chair next to Peter’s and quickly reads over the code on the screen. “You’re so close, see this?” Tony points to a piece of code. “This needs to be up here,” Peter nods in understanding as Tony moves the code around. “Other than that you’re golden.” Peter grins and goes back to his work.

“Peter?” Tony asks after a moment. 

Peter looks up at him, “Yeah?”

“I need to talk to you about something, it’s alright, I promise,” Tony adds on when he sees Peter growing anxious. Peter nods, his fingers rolling over a screw in his hand. “Ok, so I talked to Pepper a few days ago and we both agree that we want you to be the heir to Stark Industries.”

Peter’s eyes bulge out of his head, the screw dropping to the ground with a soft clang, “What?! Are you serious?”

Tony nods with a soft smile, “Of course. You’re our kid, Pete.”

Peter rapidly shakes his head, “Are you sure you want me? I’m not very organized and I’m definitely not a leader. I don’t think you want me, dad. I would just mess everything up.” Peter looks miserable and Tony feels his heart clench. Peter gently reaches down and picks up his screw from the floor.

Tony frowns and squeezes Peter’s shoulder, “Of course we want you, Peter. You’re the only person we could think of.” Peter shakes his head again, his eyes fixed on the screw between his fingers. “Peter...do you remember Stark Industries before Pepper took over?” Peter shakes his head. “Well I was running it and we were making weapons, pretty much exclusively. We were dealing weapons to terrorists. Now look at how much good is happening now this company is helping so many people and if you run it you could do the same if not more.” Tony squeezes Peter’s hand, “But, hey, if you really don’t want to, we’re not going to force you.”

“No, no, I want to,” Peter says softly. “I just don’t think that I’ll be able to.”

“Why not?” Tony asks gently. 

“Because I’m not like you or mom. I don’t know how to run a business or how to be in charge. I’m just some kid from Queens.” Peter’s voice falters at the end.

Tony kneels beside Peter’s chair, taking his hands in his own, “You’re so much more than that, Peter. You’re my son and the smartest person I know. And no, you’re not like mom or me, but that’s a good thing. That means whatever you do will be your own. And you don’t need to worry about the business stuff, if you decide you want to do it, then we can help train. And if you need some help along the way, your mom and me and May will always be in your corner to help you. Okay? Come here.” Tony pulls Peter into a hug, the boy’s head resting over Tony’s heart. Peter takes a measured breath and Tony can feel Peter’s eyelashes fluttering. Tony runs his hand over the back of Peter’s head, “Do you to be the heir to Stark Industries?” 

And Peter nods, “I think I do.” Tony smiles, pressing a kiss to the top of Peter’s head.

Two weeks later, Tony, Pepper, and Peter are standing in front of a sea of journalists, news reporters, and flashing cameras. Pepper takes Peter’s hand as Tony begins to address the press.

“A few months ago I found out that I had a son and that his name is Peter. I have known Peter for a few years now and I considered him to be my son long before I knew he was biologically mine.” Tony smiles at his notecards before looking back up, “Peter is an incredible kid, he is kind and smart and all of the things that every parent wishes their kid could be. He is better than I’ll ever be.” Peter looks down at his feet, a small smile spreading across his face. “We’ve had a lot of hardships these past few months,” Tony continues, “but it has only strengthened what I already knew, Peter is the most important thing in the world to me and I would do anything for him.” Tony takes a small breath, “Since discovering I had a son, I’ve thought a lot about my legacy. What do I want to leave behind for the future? I came up with so many possibilities: Iron Man, the Avengers, Stark Industries, but all of them pale in comparison when I look at my son.” Peter can see the tears in his dad’s eyes as he says, “Peter is my legacy. That is why we have decided to name Peter as the heir to Stark Industries.” The room erupts into noise. Tony simply holds up his hand and the room falls silent once more. “I have no doubt that Peter will be able to carry on the legacy of Stark Industries, but I know that he will make it into something new, better than it is now and that his ideas will change the world and the course of our future.” Peter smiles. “Peter, would you like to say something?”

Peter nods and steps up to the mic, “Hello, everyone. My name is Peter Parker-Stark.” He takes a slow breath. “Ten years ago I was sitting in my living room, watching Tony Stark announce that he was Iron Man to the world, and now I’m standing beside him, carrying his last name.” The three of them smile, “All I’ve ever wanted since I was little is to change the world and help people. Now, thanks to my dad, I have that opportunity and I have no doubt in my mind that I will be able to make the world better than it is now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finished! Yay! I'm excited to have this done and it means that I have officially completed all my WIPs!
> 
> I'm looking for any ideas for my next fic. Specifically AU prompts or longer fic prompts. If you have any please tell me either in the comments or on my tumblr: @romeoandjulietyouwish
> 
> For future reference, I think that I am going to be posting any of my fics that end up being less than 700 words on my tumblr instead so go follow me to see more short fics there as well as some of my older stuff! <3


End file.
